I have used it as a directory to find a recipe when I wasn't sure which dinner I was looking for. I save the recipes I am likely to make right away, but lately I have been trying some that I wouldn't normally. I also used it this week before submitting my appetizer recipe to see if there were any "trends". I didn't want to submit ANOTHER stuffed mushroom, for example.

I'm still laughing! Well, the dinner party went just fine. Thanks to all of you, I was able to relax and enjoy it all. There was no talk about dieting or that he was on a diet. I couldn't wait to tell you about what happened with the food, though. You know what's coming, don't you? Of course you do. Before dinner, I really didn't pay attention to whether "Cuthbert" ate the blintzes or not or if he ate nuts (I decided against serving the salmon spread), and I did overhear him choosing vodka rocks (as lindac predicted). At dinner, I decided just to serve him the same peanut soup as everyone else. He ate it (admirably slowly), although I noticed when I cleared the bowls that he left the coconut/scallion garnish. He was seated at the other end of the table from me, so I don't know whether he took any vegetables. I put that chicken breast on the table near his end of the table, without any comment. Someone else asked about it, and I just said something like, "Oh, that's just if someone wants something plainer." I served that chicken/pastry/mushroom/artichoke/rice dish individually, and Cuthbert did take a piece. Not only did he eat every bite, he later asked if there was enough chicken left for him to have another helping. He finished that one, too. No dessert for him, not even the meringues. My only comment when I served dessert was in answer to "What are those?": "These are sugarless cinnamon meringues; they're an Atkins recipe." "Mrs. Cuthbert" ate those and no pie. She was seated right next to me, so I couldn't help but notice that, and also that she ate all the chicken dish EXCEPT the chicken. Maybe she has become a vegetarian? I did not ask or comment, of course. The dog and cat were delighted, though! So look at all I learned. I worried about entirely the wrong things. Mrs. C had said, "He finds the diet much easier if he just never deviates. But evidently, he was ready to take a night off. I only hope he didn't think *I* was trying to get him to stick to his diet or commenting on his weight! Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart. You were great. I really wasn't as spazzed out as I seemed -- but I still really, really appreciated your support, sympathy, and suggestions. Oh, and by the way, the youth group didn't end up congregating here anyway; their program was cancelled due to the weather, even though it wasn't bad enough to delay our guests. To thank you all, I want to share that peanut soup recipe with you. It is SO delicious, and really easy and fast -- and always gets "Wow, this is amazing!" from guests. I cut it out of the newspaper 2 years ago; it's by J.M. Hirsch, who writes a vegetarian cooking column. (He and his mom have a cookbook out; I've loved his recipes from the paper so much that I plan to buy it.) I hope you all enjoy it, too. I always double this recipe, which serves only about 4-5. Polynesian Peanut Soup 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (I had shredded, so I used that) 1 T canola oil 1 c finely chopped onion 1/4 c finely chopped fresh ginger 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 14-oz. can light coconut milk 3/4 c vegetable stock 3/4 c smooth natural peanut butter 1/4 c mango chutney 1 T minced fresh jalapeno chili, or to taste salt to taste 1/4 c finely chopped green onions 2 T minced fresh cilantro [I omit this, as we are "tasters"] sesame oil, for garnish In a small dry skillet, toast the coconut over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes (took less for me). Transfer to a plate and cool. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.* Add the onion, ginger, and garlic . Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and ginger are very tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, peanut butter, chutney, and jalapeno [I chopped the jalapeno in there first and then added the rest]. Puree until smooth (anticipate a little leakage if you're doubling the recipe!). If the peanut butter is too thick, it might be necessary to add more stock (I like it thick, though). Transfer the soup to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until heated through. Season with salt to taste. Meanwhile, toss the coconut with the green onions and cilantro, if using. To serve, drizzle each bowl with some sesame oil and top with a mound of the coconut mixture. *I found that the onions stuck too much, even though I stirred almost constantly, so I ended up using another pot after pureeing. Next time, I will use a nonstick pan first to toast the coconut, then use the same one to cook the onions, ginger, and garlic, and not use the soup pot (Dutch oven) until after pureeing. Still a total of 2 pans to wash.

POTATO ICEBOX ROLLS (makes 5-6 dozen) 1 1/2 cups milk, scalded & cooled to lukewarm 1/2 cup lukewarm unseasoned mashed potato 1/2 cup water from cooking the potato 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick butter, softened 1 pkg yeast 2 tsp salt 6-7 cups flour, or as needed Combine the milk, mashed potato & potato water, sugar, butter, yeast & salt in the large bowl of a mixer. Add 3 cups flour; beat well & allow to rest 15 minutes. Add the remaining 3-4 cups flour gradually to make a stiff but sticky dough. Atach a dough hook to the mixer & process, adding a little flour if necessary, for 5 minutes. (If not using a dough hook, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic.) Transfer to a greased bowl; cover tightly & refrigerate. Punch the dough down every hour for3 or 4 hours or until dough is completely chilled. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 5 days. Roll out the dough to 1/2" thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into desired shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet; cover loosely with a towel. Let rise in a warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake 15-20 minutes.~~ Carolina Collection These are also good: MELT IN YOUR MOUTH DINNER ROLLS (about 24) 1 pkg dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water 1 TBL sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup milk 1/3 cup margarine (or butter) 1/3 cup sugar Dash of salt 2 eggs, beaten 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups flour Add yeast to warm water. Add 1 TBL sugar & baking powder. Let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, scald 1 cup milk. Add margarine, 1/3 cup sugar & a dash of salt. Cool. Then add eggs. Add flour & mix. Refrigerate overnight. Roll out 1/2 the dough as you would for pie & brush with melted butter. Cut 12 pie-shaped pieces. Roll each from wide end to pointed end. Place on a greased baking sheet & let rise. Do the same with remaining dough. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes.~~Touches of the Hands & Heart

Here are a couple for puff pastry: BLEU CHEESE TARTS (makes 40) 1 pkg frozen puff pastry 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened 3 oz pkg bleu cheese, softened 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup pesto sauce 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Thaw pastry for 1 hour. Unfold onto a cutting board & cut into 1" squares. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove top 1/2 of squares & discard. Thoroughly mix cream cheese, bleu cheese & sun-dried tomatoes. Spread each pastry square with about 1/4 tsp cheese mixture. Top each with a dab of pesto. Sprinkle with walnuts & Parmesan. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet & broil until cheese melts, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.~~ Food for Thought TOMATO DILL SOUP IN PUFF PASTRY (serves 8) 3 TBL butter 2 onions, sliced 2 lbs very ripe tomatoes or 32 oz canned, drained 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine) 3 TBL tomato paste 1/4 cup flour 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2 TBL chopped fresh dill Two 8 oz pkg frozen puff pastry, defrosterd per directions 2 egg yolks, beaten Melt the butter in a heavy nonreactive saucepan & saute the onions for 8-10 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 1/2 cups water, the salt, sugar & pepper. Cover & cook slowly until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes. Sir in the tomato paste. Dissolve the flour in 1/2 cup water. Add 2 1/2 cups more water & stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the tomateos & bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Strain the soup & add the half-and-half, cream & dill. Ladle the warm soup into 8 straight-sided oven-proof soup bowls, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 full. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut rounds from the defrosted puff pastry 1" larger than the diameter of the soup bowls. Paint around the edge of the bowls with the beaten egg yolk. Then place a pastry round over the top of each bowl, slightly stretching it & pressing to secure. Cut out mini hearts, stars, etc. from the remaining dough & affix them to the pastry tops with the egg yolk. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet & bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.~~From California Heritage Continues